The roseobacter group of marine bacteria is characterized by a mosaic distribution of ecologically important phenotypes. These are often encoded on mobile extrachromosomal replicons. So far, conjugation had only been experimentally proven between the two model organisms Phaeobacter inhibens and Dinoroseobacter shibae. Here, we show that two large natural RepABC-type plasmids from D. shibae can be transferred into representatives of all known major Rhodobacterales lineages. Complete genome sequencing of the newly established Phaeobacter inhibens transconjugants confirmed their genomic integrity. The conjugated plasmids were stably maintained as single copy number replicons in the genuine as well as the new host. Co-cultivation of Phaeobacter inhibens and the transconjugants with the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum demonstrated that Phaeobacter inhibens is a probiotic strain that improves the yield and stability of the dinoflagellate culture. The transconjugant carrying the 191 kb plasmid, but not the 126 kb sister plasmid, killed the dinoflagellate in co-culture.

Department of Microbial Ecology and Diversity Research Leibniz Institute DSMZ German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures Braunschweig Germany

Group Genome Analytics Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research Braunschweig Germany

Institute for Biological Interfaces 5 Biotechnology and Microbial Genetics Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Karlsruhe Germany

Institute of Microbiology Technical University of Braunschweig Braunschweig Germany

Laboratory of Anoxygenic Phototrophs Institute of Microbiology of the Czech Academy of Science Centre Algatech Třeboň Czech Republic

Present address Schülke and Mayr GmbH Norderstedt Germany

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The Sixth Element: a 102-kb RepABC Plasmid of Xenologous Origin Modulates Chromosomal Gene Expression in Dinoroseobacter shibae

The Influence of Genes on the "Killer Plasmid" of Dinoroseobacter shibae on Its Symbiosis With the Dinoflagellate Prorocentrum minimum